Milk-cooler



NITED STATES ATENT innie.

SAMUEL J. WILSON AND NAHUM T. WILSON, OF ROGERSVILLE, MICHIGAN.

MILK-COOLER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 273,659, dated March 6, 1883.

Application filed May 29, 1882. (No model.)

'To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, SAMUEL J. WILsoN and NAHUM T. IVILSON, of Rogersville, in the county of Gen esee and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Milk-Coolers; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cabinet containinga set or series of our improved milkcoolers or creaming-cans, showing the doors and lid orcoveropen. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section through the cabinet with its sinks and creaming-cans. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view through one of the cans, with the tank and its appropriate well, on the line 00 w in Fig. 2, and taken at right angles to the sectional view represented in Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the cover of the creaming-can detached. 7

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Our invention has relation to milk-coolers, or so called creaming-cans for raising cream from milk; and it consists in the improved construction of the milk-containing vessel, and in its combination with a refrigerating-cabinet having a tank with peculiarly-constructed wells, substantially as hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying two sheets of drawings, A represents the outside casing or cabinet, which is made of wood and adapted to contain any desired number of cans.

. In the present illustration of our invention we have shown a cabinet containing a set of three cans; but it may contain a larger or smaller number, and as many as a dozen cans, and even more, if desired, may be arranged within a single cabinet, according to the capacity of the dairy in which it is used. This cabinet has a door, B, and a hinged cover, 0, provided at opposite ends with ventilating aperturesD D,covered by wire-gauze and having sliding doors. In the upper part of the cabinet is a tank or sink, E, of zinc, galvanized iron, or other suitable material, which has a series of wells, F, corresponding in number and arrangement to the number of cans G.

' By reference to Fig. 2 it will be seen that the sinkE slopes at its bottom 0 0 into the wells F, while by reference to Fig. 3 it will be observed that the bottoms of the wells also slope downward and frontward, forming inclined bottomsf.

The cans G, which are all alike and of even size, are made very narrowsay about five inches in width-in proportion to their length and depth, and have rounded corners to t'acilitate their thorough cleansing, and a bot tom, g, forming an inclined plane from rear to front, corresponding to the well-bottoinsf.

Inserted into the front end of the can, near its bottom, is a pane of glass or mica, H, and near the bottom of the well F is a similar pane, I, the panes H and I being opposite to each other, with a thin water-space between.

J is the faucet for drawing ott' the milk and cream from the can, and K is the faucet for drawing off water from the well into which the can is inserted. By removing the milk-faucet J the can may readily be lifted out of its well.

Each can has a flanged cover with rounded corners and a peaked roof, L, the ridge of which is slotted longitudinally, as shown at I, which slot or opening is covered bya cap, M, which overlaps the sides of the opening. The steam and odors from the fresh milk will as cend up through the opening I, and, condensing on the under side of the cap M, will run down upon the roof L and off into the water in the sink, so as not to taint the cream and the butter made from it.

For cooling purposes either ice or running water may be used. If ice is used, thelid U is closed down after the milk has been strained into the cans and the sink and its wells packed with ice, and the ventilators D D are opened to permit the current of air passing through them to carry off the steam and odors from the milk; but after this has become chilled the ventilators should be closed to prevent waste ofice. \Vhen running water is used it is fed to each of the wells in any convenient manner, and escapes through an overflow-pipe at the end of the cabinet.

After the cream has set (with ice this will require from four to six hours, while with wa- IOC ' ceptacleis put under it, when itjs again opened and the cream is drawn off from the can.

By the configuration of the sink with its wells the sawdust and other impurities in the ice will collect in the forward inclined end of the wells, from which they are readily removed through the faucet K by flushing the sink and wells. There is no waste of ice-space or of water-space, as the case may be; but the best results are obtained in our improved creaming-can with a minimum expenditure of cooling material. By reference to Fig. 2 of the drawings it will be observed that when the cans G are inserted into the tank, with their slanting bottoms extending down into their respective wells F, the triangular caps M of the slotted can-covers L project up above the upper rim of the tank and above the top of the box or casing A, projecting into the flanged cover 0 transversely across aline connecting the two draft-openings D D, so that cold air passing between these openings, as indicated by the arrows, will cool off the caps M, thereby keeping them at a constant low temperature, and thus expediting the condensation of the vapors which ascend from the body of cream in the can up into the cap of the cover.

We are aware that it is not new to immerse creaming-cans or milk-cans in tanks or vats conforming to the shape of the can or the immersed portion of the can, nor do we claim such construction, broadly; but by the peculiar construction of the tank with its wells, and of the cans, as herein shown and described, we greatly economize the use of ice or ice'water, the tanks and wells may be readily flushed for cleaning, and both the wells and the cans may be inspected through the registering panes Iand H, to ascertain the water-level and cream-level, without opening the top or cover of the cabinet.

We claim as our improvement and desire to secure byLetters Patent of theUnited States- 1. The refrigerating box or cabinet A B 0, having the tank E, provided with a series of wells, F, and inwardly-sloping portions e, said wells having straight sides, straight fronts provided with translucent panes I, and sloping bottoms f, substantially as and for the purpose herein shown and set forth.

2. The combination of the refrigerating box or cabinet having a hinged cover provided with draft-openings D D, and the tank E, provided with a series of wells, F, and the cans G, having covers L, slotted longitudinally at l, and provided with the caps M, overlapping the opening-l, so arranged that said caps M will project above the tank and intercept a current of air passing between the draft-openings D D, substantially as and for the purpose. herein shown and specified.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have hereunto affixed our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

SAMUEL J. WILSON. NAHUM T. WILSON. 

